Self-opening bucket



c. NOLAN. I SELF OPENING BUCKET. APPLICATION. FILED I UNE II, I920.

Patented Dec. 20, i921.

3 SHEEN-SHEET I C. NOLAN.

'SELF OPENING BUCKET.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 11, 1920.

Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' ljllillllll lilllb C. NOLAN.

SELF OPENING BUCKET.

APPLICATION HLEDJUNEH,1920.

LQUU QUQ Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

(56* Man time CLYDE NOLAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEAM CONVEYOR CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SELF-0PENING BUCKET.

Application filed June 11, 1928.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDE NoLAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Self-Opening Bucket s, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a bucket capable of being employed in trolley carrier systems, and the object of my invention is to provide a bucket of this class which, when lowered to the ground, bottom of a bin, or upon a pile where its contents are to be dumped, will so adjust itself that when the bucket is subsequently raised the doors thereof fall open and permit the material contained in the bucket to be discharged therefrom, the doors being arranged to assume their normal closed positions after the contents of the bucket have been discharged therefrom.

The combination and construction of parts whereby T attain the objects of my invention will be best understood by reading the description to follow in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my invention, illustrating the trolley mechanism and cables for operating the trolley and for raising and lowering the bucket.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the bucket with the doors in open position.

Fig. 3 is a vertical. sectional view of one of the two devices which constitute the connection between the bucket and its associated bail, or bucket carrier, which permits the bucket to be raised with the doors thereof open, as will subsequently be explained.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4: of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 isa vertical sectional view of a cylinder forming part of the device shown in F 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating a cylinder differing slightly from the cylinder of Fig. 5. V

Fig. 8 illustrates a modified cylinder and iston mechanism which may be substituted or the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 if desired, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Bee. 2(1 1921.

Serial no. 388,351.

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

ficferring first to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the bucket proper is indicated 1. This bucket is preferably tapering in form, and open at the top and bottom, the lower end, however, being normally closed by doors 2-2 which are hinged to the lower end of the bucket by suitableihinges 3-3. Each of the doors has each of the ends thereof connected by a flexible cable 4: with an equalizing bar 5, pivoted at 6 to one of the legs of a substantially ll-shaped frame 7, which may be termed a bail, or bucket carrier. It will be noted that each equalizing bar 5 is connected with both doors as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be understood, of course, that while the connection between the equalizing bar and the doors has been illustrated as being in the form of a flexible cable 1, a chain or other equivalent means may be employed for this purpose if desired.

The vertical legs of the U-shaped bail, or bucket carrier 7, are held and guided by steel straps 8, and 9, which embrace the bail legs and have their ends securely bolted or other wise secured to the sides of the bucket. It will he noted that the straps 8-8 and 99 permit the bail to move. vertically independently of the bucket within certain limits. 1

At; its upper portion, the bail 7 is provided with suitable brackets 1010, to which is pivoted a sheave 11, with which cooperates the cable 12 by means of which the bucket is raised and lowered. The cable 12 passes over sheaves 18 and 1 1 which are carried by the movable trolley 15. It will be understood that the trolley 15 is. moved to and fro along the track 16 by suitable manipulation of the cable, or cables, 17, which are attached to the trolley at opposite ends thereof. It will also be understood that the bucket is raised up to a position near the trolley, or lowered downwardly therefrom, by lengthening or shortening up that loop of the cable 12 which extends downwardly from the sheaves 13 and 1 1. In carrier systems of the type in which my bucket is adapted tobe employed, the bucket is filled with the material to be carried, and is lifted up to the trolley and then the latter, to-

gether wih the bucket, are moved to a position over the point where the contents of the bucket are to be dumped. I

It will be noted that the weight of the bucket 1 and the contents thereof is normally carried by the doors 2-2, the lifting force being transmitted from the lifting cable 12 through sheave 11, bail 7 and thence through the equalizing bars and cables 4: to the doors. At this point, I will call attention to the rollers 1818, which are mounted upon the legs of the bail, or bucket carrier, 7, the outer ends of these rollers conveniently being journaled in brackets 19- 19. These rollers are designed to cooperate with suitable tracks when the bucket is swung beneath filling gates in certain types of loading pits which are oftentimes employed in connection with carrier systems ofthe type herein mentioned. However, the rollers 18-18 constitute no part of my present invention.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be noted that near its upper end the bucket is provided with two inwardly projecting and oppositely disposed brackets 20-20, the latter being rigidly attached to the bucket as is very clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Disposed upon each of the brackets 20rand rigidly secured thereto by bolts 21 is a cylinder 22 which is closed at. its lower end. and

has its open upper end tightly closed by a cap 23 which is provided with a packing gland 24, through which extends a piston rod 25. The piston rod 25, in each instance, is secured to the horizontal portion of the bail '7 by nuts 26-26, or other equivalent fastening means. At its lower end, each of the piston rods is provided with a piston 27, which fits tightly within the bore of the cylinder 22 and may if desired be provided with a suitable packing ring as shown. The piston 27 is of the valved type being provided with a plurality of ball check valves 2828, which permit liquid freely to pass 7 through the piston when the latter is moved downwardly within the cylinder, butwhich effectively prevent passage of the liquid through the piston when the latter is moved upwardly within the cylinder. The cylinder 22 normally contains a substantial quantity of oil, or other suitable fluid.

Referring now to Fig. 5 attention is di; rected to the grooves 29 and 30,'which are formed in the inner surface of the cylinder 22. The purpose of the grooves 29 and 30 is to permit oil to bleed restrictedly around the piston when the latter is moved clownwardly within the cylinder. It will be noted that the groove 29 is considerably longer than the grooveSO. The groove 80, as shown in'Fig. 5, is a trifle wider than the groove 29. The purpose'of this-arrangement will presently appear.

Before describing the operation of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, let us assume that the bucket 1, as shown in Fig. 1, is filled with coal or other material, and that the trolley 15 has been brought to a position directly over the point where the contents of the bucket are to be dumped. The bucket is lowered to the ground, the bot tom of the bin, or upon a pile of material, as the case may be, by letting out the cable 12. So long as the bucket is held in suspension the several parts thereof occupy the positions shown in Fig. 1, and it will be understood that at such time the pistons 27 lie near the upper ends of their respective cylinders 2222. As soon as the bucket rests upon the ground, the bottom of the bin, or the pile, as the case may be, the cable 12 becomes slack, with the result that the weight of the sheave 11 and the bail '7 causes the latter to move downwardly independently of the bucket,-thus causing thefiexible cables 4; to become slack. It will be understood thatthe valves 2828 of the pistons 2727 permit the bail 7 to move quickly downward independently of the bucket un' der these conditions. Now let us assume that the bucket is raised by taking in the slack in the lifting cable 12 and by raising the loop which cooperates with the sheave 11. As the bail '7 is raised, the pistons 27-27 tend to move upwardly withintheir respective cylinders 2222, but this movement is retarded due to the fact that the ball check valves 28 are now closed. Any oil which may pass from the upper to the lower sides of the pistons must bleed aroundrthe peripheries of the latter. .During the first part of the upward movement of the pistons, the flow of oil around the same is very restricted due to the fact that all of the oil must find its way through the comparatively narrow channel 29; Since the flow of After the pistons have moved upwardly a V substantial distance, the channels 30' func-.

tion to permit the flow of oil around the pistons to beincreased. lVith oil flowing around eachof the pistons through both of the grooves 29'and 30 the upward movement of the pistons is much faster than it'was before, and it will be understood that by the time the pistonsapproach the upper ends of the grooves 30 .the doors have been brought to substantially their closed posi tions. After the pistons pass the upper ends of the grooves 30, the flow of'oil around the istons is a ain restricted for a short distance, since'now all the leakage must be through the grooves 29. The only reason for increasing the restriction in the flow of oil around the pistons near the end of the upward movement of the latter is to cushion the final closing of the doors. In some cases, this arrangement may not be deemed necessary. It will be understood that after the pistons have reached their uppermost positions, the cables H which connect the bail 7 with the doors have become taut, and thereafter the weight of the bucket is carried on the doors through the bail 7 and cables 4.

It will be understood that while I have illustrated each of the cylinders 22 as being provided with two grooves, 29 and 30, as many grooves may be provided as may be necessary or desirable. As a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 5, I may say that I may employ a single groove 29 which is of reatest width or depth intermediate its ends in order to permit the pistons to function in the manner hereinbefore set forth, as illustrated in Fig. 7

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a mechanism which may, if desired, be substituted for the mechanism shown in Fig. 3. The arrangement shown in Figs. 8 and 9, while somewhat more elaborate than the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, possesses certain advantages over the arrangement shown in Fig. 3. In Figs. 8 and 9 I have illustrated only such portions of the bucket and bail as are necessary in order clearly to illustrate the construction of the modified cylinder and piston mechanism. In the arrangement of Fig. 8, the cylinder 40 is carried by the bail 7, and is secured thereto by a U-shaped bracket 40, which is secured to the bail by bolts 41-41, and to the cylinder by stud bolts 4H2. The cylinder is closed at its lower end, and provided at its upper end with cap 43, provided with a stufling gland let, through which extends the piston rod 45. At its lower end, the piston rod 45 is provided with a piston 46, which may be similar in all respects to the piston 27 of Fig. 3, except in the fact that the check valves of the piston 46 function topermit the passage of oil through the piston on the upward movement of the latter, and are closed dur-. ing the downward movement of the same. The piston rod 45 has its upper end attached to a yoke 47, having its ends bolted or otherwise secured to brackets 48-48, carried by the bucket. The cylinder 40 is, of course, provided with means for permitting oil restrictedly to bleed around the piston during the downward movement of the piston. The operation of the mechanism shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is substantially similar to the operation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 ex cept that when the bucket is being lifted through the piston and cylinder mechanism,

the oil under pressure lies between the piston and the closed bottom of the cylinder, with the result that there is little or no likelihood of any oil escaping from the cylinder around the piston rod. It will be understood, of course, that the bucket will be provided with two cylinder and piston mechanisms of the type shown in Figs. 8 and 9. I do not limit myself to the particular arrangement and construction of parts herein shown, and described, but desire to claim all equivalent embodiments of my invention falling within the terms and spirit of the appended claims.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

1. A bucket of the class described provided with hinged bottom doors, a bucket carrier capable of a limited amount of vertical movement independent of the bucket, non-rigid means connecting said carrier and said doors whereby the latter are held closed when the carrier lies in the highest position to which it may be moved independent of the bucket, and automatic means interposed between the carrier and bucket arranged to permit the carrier to move comparatively freely downwardly with respect to the bucket and adapted to permit but offer substantial impedance to upward move ment of the carrier independent of the bucket.

2. A bucket capable of dumping its contents, a carrier for said bucket capable of a limited amount of movement relative thereto, and automatic means interposed between said bucket and carrier to permit the carrier to move comparatively quickly relative to said bucket to permit the same to discharge its contents and to permit but offer impedance to movement of said carrier relative to said bucket in the opposite direction to restore the bucket to its loading position.

3. A bucket capable of dumping its contents, a carrier adapted to support said bucket and capable of moving relatively thereto to cause the same to discharge its contents, said carrier comprising automatic means to permit the bucket to discharge comparatively quickly and to return to its loading position comparatively slowly.

4:. A bucket capable of dumping its contents, a carrier for said bucket having a lost motion connection therewith and automatic means in said connection to permit the carrier to move comparatively freely in one direction with respect to the bucket, and to permit but slow up movement in the opposite direction of the carrier relative to said bucket.

5. A bucket capable of dumping its contents, a carrier for said bucket capable of a limited amount of movement relative there to, means interposed between said bucket and carrier to permit the carrier to move comparatively freely in one direction relative to said bucket to permit the same to discharge its contents and to offer substantial impedance to movement in the opposite direction of the carrier relative to the. bucket, to permit the same to return comparatively slowly to its loading position, said means comprising cylinders secured upon said bucket, fluid in said cylinders,,pistons conneoted to said carrier and movable .in said cylinders, valves in said pistons to permit free passage of the fluid only from the one side of the pistons to the other side thereof, and means to permit restricted passage of the fluid back to the opposite side of the pistons, said means comprising grooves in the cylinder walls.

6. A bucket capable of dumping its contents, a carrier for said bucket having a lost motion connection therewith, means in said only from the one side of the pistonsto the other side thereof, and means to permit restricted passage of the fluid back to the firstmentioned side of the pistons. v

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of June, 1920.

CLYDE NOLAN.

Witnesses MARION WARDELL, EDWIN M. VVoLr. 

